Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 12 : Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur will watch the final of the Asian Champions Trophy between India and Malaysia in Chennai live at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Saturday.
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey and Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh received the Union Sports Minister at the Chennai Airport.
"Hockey India President Padma Shri Dr Dilip Tirkey and Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh welcomed Hon’ble Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, Anurag Thakur at Chennai Airport this morning. The Minister has arrived in Chennai to witness the Final of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 between India & Malaysia at 2030 hrs today. #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HACT2023," tweeted Hockey India.
https://twitter.com/TheHockeyIndia/status/1690243587567751168
Team India will be eyeing history when they take on Malaysia in the final of the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy on Saturday, hoping to become the most successful team in the tournament's history with four titles.
India will be playing their fifth final in seven appearances in the tournament, having won against Pakistan on two occasions in 2011 and 2016, sharing the trophy with their arch-rival in 2018. They are the joint most successful team in the tournament along with Pakistan, which has also clinched three titles.
The final will take place at 8:30 PM as per Indian Standard Time, as per Olympics.com.
India has been unbeaten in the tournament so far, finishing at the top of the table. They secured wins against China, Malaysia, South Korea and arch-rivals Pakistan while drawing one against Japan. In the semis, they defeated Japan 5-0 to make it to the final. Japan is the reigning Asian Games champion team in men's hockey.
Malaysia, the ninth-ranked side, finished second on the points table, with their loss to India being the only low point. In the semis, they thrashed defending champions Korea by 6-2 to make it to their first-ever final.
Drag-flick specialist captain Harmanpreet Singh has led Team India from the front, with eight goals, the highest in the tournament. Malaysia's top-scorer Firhan Ashari has scored four goals.
India has put on an attacking masterclass in this tournament with 25 goals in the tournament, the most by a team. 15 of them have come through penalty corners, which is also the most by a team. Malaysia has scored 18 goals, with six coming through penalty corners.
India has conceded only five goals, the lowest in the tournament, which speaks volumes about their defence. Malaysia has also conceded only eight goals so their defence is also really hard to breach.
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